Thunderbolt as a Sign of God in Orosius’ Seven Books of History against the Pagans

• Authors: Skibiński Tomasz
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

In the preface to the “Seven Books of History against the Pagans” Orosius announces that he will present different disasters which affected mankind throughout history, and mentions among them thunderbolt strikes. The article aims at analysing the descriptions of this phenomenon from the point of view of their circumstances, time, results and meanings. The study shows that although the circumstances are different, it was always God who sent down the lightning strikes and spoke through them. Orosius dedicates a lot of attention to the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 AD, which ended also with a lightning strike. The analysis of this and of other descriptions shows Orosius’ vision of history and the temporal order based on the power of Rome and faith in the true God.

Keywords

EN

Orosius; Sevens Books of History against the Pagans; thunderbolt; sign; portent

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie
• Journal: Saeculum Christianum. Pismo Historyczne
• Year: 2017
• Volume: XXIV
• Pages: 17-27

Contributors

author

Skibiński Tomasz

• Wydział Nauk Historycznych i Społecznych, Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego, Warszawa

References

• Orosius, Historiarum aduersus paganos libri VII: Orose, Histoires (Contre les Païens), t. I. Livres I-III, t. II. Livres IV-VI, t. III. Livre VII, texte établi et traduit par Marie- Pierre Arnaud-Lindet, Les Belles Lettres, Paris 1990-1991.
• Orosius, Seven Books of History against the Pagans, translated with an introduction and notes by A.T. Fear, Liverpool University Press, Liverpool 2010, ”Translated Texts for Historians” 54.
• Tacitus Publius Cornelius, Historiarum libri: Histoires (IV-V), ed. H. Goelzer, Les Belles Lettres, Paris 1956.
• Iulius Obsequens, Liber prodigiorum: Giulio Ossequente, Prodigi, introduzione e testo di P. Mastandrea, traduzione e note di Massimo Gusso, Oscar Mondatori, Milano 2005.
• Fabrini F., Paolo Orosio uno storico, Roma 1979.
• Hillard T. W., Death by lightning. Pompeius Strabo and the People, “Rheinisches Museum Für Philologie“, 139(1996), no. 2, 135–145.
• Israelowich I., The Rain Miracle of Marcus Aurelius: (Re-) Construction of Consensus, “Greece & Rome. Second Series” 50(2008), no. 1, 83-102.
• Koczwara S., Orozjusz, EK14, Lublin 2010, 825;
• Marcone A., Il Sacco di Roma del 410 nelle riflessioni di Agostino e di Orosio, “Rivista storica italiana”, 114 (2002), no. 3, pp. 851-867.
• Mastrorosa I.G., Calamità e prodigi nella storia di Roma repubblicana: la rilettura tardoantica di Orosio, “Les épitomés scientifiques et historiques” 8, 2012, [http://rursus.revues.org/1084 ; DOI: 10.4000/rursus.1084], <accessed: 15 Dec. 2016>.
• Numowicz J., Ile było prześladowań Kościoła starożytnego? Opinie autorów patrystycznych, in: Lux ex Silesia. Księga Pamiątkowa dedykowana Księdzu Profesorowi Józefowi Mandziukowi w 70. rocznicę urodzin, ed. W. Gliński, Warszawa, 2013, pp. 485-501.
• Paschoud F., Orosio, NDPAC 2, Genova 2007, 3688-3691.
• Watkins O. D., The Death of Cn. Pompeius. Strabo, “Rheinisches Museum Für Philologie“ 131 (1988) 143-150.
• Ziółkowski M., „Cud deszczu” w 172 r. i chrześcijanie, „Acta Universitatis Nicolai Copernici. Historia” 27 (254), 1992, pp. 89-95.